Bill Shannon, a long-time denizen of pressboxes in and around New York, passed away in a house fire yesterday. He was 69 and spent his life devoted to sports.

Shannon was a free-lance writer who covered baseball for the Associated Press as well as reported on tennis, and followed Columbia and other university sports in the metropolitan area. He will long be remembered for his work as an official scorer for the Yankees and Mets and would often be called upon during broadcasts to enlighten announcers (and the general public) about nuances of particular rules that seemed enigmatic to many, but not to Shannon. His distinctive voice would boom throughout the pressbox as he gave a pitcher’s line or announced a scoring decision. It was the stuff of legend.

Shannon was fittingly the director of the New York Sports Hall of Fame. He was an accomplished author, writing about both sports history and the rules of play. He created the U.S.T.A’s U.S. Open Record Book as well as wrote guides to being an official scorer. Most of all, he was a mentor and friend to those who followed in his footsteps, myself included.

New York sports have lost an icon and he will be missed. Rest in peace, Bill, and thank you.